Power Performance and Speed in 20th Century Yacht Design

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is thrilled to announce the opening of a major exhibition, Power Performance and Speed in 20th Century Yacht Design, celebrating W. Starling Burgess and C. Raymond Hunt. The Opening Reception will be held Friday, December 9, 6-8 p.m.

The exhibition highlights are actual boats designed by Burgess and Hunt as well as the outstanding photography of Norman Fortier, trophies, tank test models, and ship models borrowed from private and corporate collections. One of the Museum’s greatest treasures is the 1/3 scale Concordia Yawl model by Tom Borges, with exquisite detailing and full rigging. Mystic Seaport is loaning a c.1920 sailing canoe designed by Burgess, and private collectors are loaning an early Boston Whaler and an exquisitely restored 110 series sailboat. These will be complemented with ship models of Burgess and Hunt’s most iconic yachts, from America’s Cup J Boats to Hunt’s Deep V powerboat hull, one of the most impactful innovations in yacht design in the 20th century. Videos and photographs of these and other yachts in action will allow the visitor to fully appreciate the unprecedented beauty, power and speed brought to the industry by these two design masters and their continued influence on modern yacht design.